


A Helping Hand

by AngleJoyce



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Additional Warnings And Notes In Author's Note, Alphyne-Centric, Alphys/Undyne-centric, Alternate Universe - Humantale, Cherish them dorks, Confessions, Depression, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Forced Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide (Attempt), Insecurity, Kindness, M/M, No Outline, One-Sided Relationship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sad, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Skippable Content, Swearing, Tags may contain spoilers, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Undyne Has Anger Issues, Violence, too many tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 18:56:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12941583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngleJoyce/pseuds/AngleJoyce
Summary: A story about a life-changing meeting between Alphys and Undyne, who go through a lot of ups and downs together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Omoni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omoni/gifts).



> As promised, here's the first chapter, dear Aneki! ^^
> 
> I just hope you and my other lovely readers will like it <3 
> 
> And that it won't be too similar to NWTATT ._.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright.
> 
> New story, new opportunities to improve, new chances to entertain my lovely readers!
> 
> Oh yeah, one warning: it's pretty sad.
> 
> But I can guarantee you there will be lots of fluff to make up for it!
> 
> Here goes nothing X3

She shivered a little harder, huddling into herself. The weather hadn’t said anything about snow, yet here she was. Freezing. In the snow. She let out a shaky breath, watching as it fogged up in the air. This was just great.

She looked down at her knees, covered in snow, and bit her dry lip.

No home.

No job.

No money.

No food.

No friends.

Nothing.

This sucked so bad.

Her eyes drifted off to the outstretched water in front of her, as she was sitting behind the fence keeping her distant from the edge, with water 50 feet below of where she sat. That ice-cold water...

She thought about jumping, again. If no one would be around, she would definitely die because of hypothermia in the water... God, she wanted that, so much...

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she shut them, tight. A soft cough escaped her, and she sniffled once, her red-tinted nose tickling in the worst way.

If she just had kept her mouth shut, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have kicked her out. She wouldn't have lost her job. She wouldn't have gotten hurt. She wouldn't have nothing.

Being useless, she'd been since she was born.

God, she always fucked everything up.

With a small sob she buried her numb face in her knees, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Her bruised cheek hurt, a lot, but she couldn't go to the doctor or anyone in this state. She hadn't showered in days, her hair was like a crow's nest, her glasses were broken... She looked a mess.

Another body-shaking shudder and another cough, and another sob escaped her. She hated this, so much. She hated herself.

"Hey."

She looked up with a blink, seeing a tall girl, her red hair in a neat ponytail, her green, warm eyes staring right into her own. She wore a black jacket, blue tight jeans and red boots.

_Holy fuck she's hot._

"U-Uh, h-h-hi," she croaked out in return, and she winced internally; her voice sounded so awful.

"Whatcha doin' out here in the cold? Shouldn't you go home?" the girl wondered softly.

"I..." She looked down, her eyes threatening to spill tears. "I-I c-can't."

Something seemed to click in the other girl's head, and a frown came to her face. "Wanna warm up at my place, then?"

Her head shot up as she looked at the tall girl in surprise. "W-what?"

"Wanna warm up at my place? I can't let you out in the cold like this. C'mon, you can't turn me down." The girl held out her hand, and she took it, surprised by the taller's strength, since she pulled her to her feet at once.

 _Oh God,_ Alphys absentmindedly thought, _her hand feels so nice and warm..._

"My name's Undyne, what's yours?" Undyne said, snapping Alphys out of her reverie, and Alphys blushed.

"I-I'm Al-Alphys. N-nice to meet you," she stuttered, the cold making her tumble over her words even more.

"Same to you," Undyne said, grinning, her eyes warming a little more, and the sight and grin of hers made Alphys feel warm already, despite the freezing cold she was in.

"Well, let's go, then," Undyne said, and Alphys nodded, before they made their way through the snow.

They didn't let go of each other's hands the whole walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see: shorter chapters! But, _probably_ more regular updates! At least that's what I hope! :'3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bigger chapter, since I couldn't split this up.
> 
> I disabled anonymous comments, I'm sorry. But you can always leave an anonymous opinion in [my askbox on Tumblr.](https://anglejoyce.tumblr.com)

"Do you want some hot cocoa? Or tea? Or something else? I have anything you could wish for," Undyne said with a smile, closing the door behind her. Alphys looked at her with a blush on her already reddish although pale cheeks, her hands shyly tangling in front of her.

"Uh," Alphys stammered, "hot c-cocoa? Please?"

Undyne grinned and nodded, walking over to the kitchen and preparing the mug of hot chocolate. After bringing Alphys the mug - earning a shy smile and a soft "thank you" - Undyne walked to her bedroom, looking through her closet. By the time she came back with some clothes, Alphys had finished her mug of hot cocoa. "Want me to put your clothes on the heater? So they can dry up, and you can put on these."

A dark blush spread across Alphys's cheeks at that. "I, uh, b-but... Y-y-you don't mind..?"

Undyne grinned at that, flashing her white teeth. "Of course not, else I wouldn't have offered it!" She handed Alphys the clothes, and Alphys smiled shyly, getting to her feet. "The bathroom's over there okay?"

Alphys nodded a little, then made her way over to the said bathroom down the hall, before she locked the door. Slowly she disregarded her clothes as she watched herself in the mirror with hollow eyes, biting hard on her lip. Her eyes went over the bruises and scratches on her arms, legs and her stomach, as well as the scars and cuts, and the burn marks. And then the marks and bruises on her back weren't even mentioned, yet. She choked up, shutting her eyes and hugging herself tight, tears running down her cheeks. She's an idiot, an idiot, an idiot, _a complete idiot--!_

"Hey Alphys, if you want you can use my shower too! I don't mind, plus it'll do ya good after the cold you were in."

Alphys opened her eyes slowly, sniffling once. "...O-o-okay... Th-thank you..."

"Any time!"

She exhaled shakily, then stepped to face the shower, turning it on and adjusting its temperature to lukewarm, before hesitantly stepping in. She winced as the water made contact with the freshest burn marks and cuts, hissing out softly in pain, but beside the pain it did feel good, warm, comforting, after days finally showering again. Her hair was so disgustingly greasy, and a lot of knits were in it, so she felt grateful Undyne'd offered this, though she still didn't understand why. She's a complete stranger to her, right? Was she always this kind to strangers?

She decided not to worry too much about it - or at least try to - and just enjoyed the shower as best as she could.

* * *

Alphys hadn't at all expected to step out of the bathroom in Undyne's oddly fitting, warm clothes - blue sweatpants and grey loose sweater - to find Undyne setting up the table.

"Un-Undyne?" she wondered softly, and Undyne nodded, smiling.

"I figured you might be hungry, so I made us spaghetti. 'S that okay?" Undyne asked, and Alphys bit her lip. The pain of her injuries and the horrible cold outside had actually distracted her from her hunger, but now reminded of it, she realised she was very hungry, indeed.

"Y-yes, please, I'd like th-that. If you r-really don't mind?"

"Shush and sit down already, of course I don't mind," Undyne said softly,  chuckling and putting the pans on the table. Alphys sat down at the table with a faint blush, biting her lip. Just the smell of deliciously prepared food made her stomach grumble more, and she blushed darkly as Undyne laughed softly and sat down as well.

* * *

"N-no, I r-really can't accept that!" Alphys stuttered, blushing.

"Well," Undyne said, crossing her arms over her chest and grinning. "You'll have to, 'cause I'm not letting you freeze outside again! No way in hell!"

"B-b-but--!"

"Lemme show you the room okay?" Undyne spoke over her, ushering the uncomfortable Alphys into the hall. She then opened a door to a spare room with a bed, a drawer and a desk in it. "This used to be my study room, but... Eh." She shrugged, as Alphys felt her discomfort fade a little, and blushed, looking around. There was a light-brownish carpet on the laminated floor, the walls were a calming blue with pink fish prints on it...? But, Alphys was grateful, and she turned to Undyne with tears in her eyes. 

"Th-thank you, Un-Undyne... S-so much."

Undyne smiled softly. "Any time. Now get some rest, okay? If you need to use the bathroom for whatever reason, there's a small one right next to you, and you can grab spare toiletry from in the drawer there, okay?"

Alphys nodded, then hugged Undyne gently. She wasn't one of physical contact, least of all this intimate, but oddly, with Undyne, she couldn't help herself. She tensed suddenly, thinking of what she'd just done, without asking, but before she could worry even more, she felt Undyne's strong arms uncharacteristically gently wrap around her in return.

"Hey, I know things must've been pretty tough for you lately," Undyne said softly in Alphys's shoulder, "basing on how I found you and stuff, but, just know that I'm here for you, okay? And I insist you stay here as long as you need, alright?"

At that, Alphys felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes, and she nodded, hugging a little tighter.

"Thank you..."

* * *

After she'd brushed her teeth and hair - _finally_ \- she walked back to the guest room, biting her lip and suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Then Alphys felt herself tremble.

It was just a guest room, just a normal one, not _that_  guest room, and _he_ wasn't here.. But still, suddenly, she could hear his whispers in her ear from behind, could hear those slaps and grunts from behind, and that was when she collapsed with a small sob.

Undyne quickly caught her before she could fall to the floor, but Alphys didn't react. She'd seen Alphys standing in the doorway and trembling, crying silently, and decided to walk over, and she'd gotten there just in time.

Alphys couldn't breathe, couldn't see, she just trembled and leaned against Undyne, unconsciously backing up a little, while Undyne was looking down at her, worried and calling her name, asking her what was wrong. But Alphys couldn't make out the words she was being told. She just tried to remind herself that she was safe, that she wouldn't get hurt, because Undyne was here, not him.

Undyne...

"Come, let's sit down for a while," Undyne said softly, leading Alphys to the couch, who walked with her with a blank mind, clinging tightly onto her.

* * *

Undyne stayed at Alphys's side and kept saying soft, soothing words, rubbing Alphys's sweaty back gently and keeping her close, and after a while Alphys had snapped out of it, before she dropped off into sleep at Undyne's side, leaning against her.

She smiled softly at this, then picked Alphys up in her strong arms after she'd gotten to her feet, and Alphys immediately curled up in them. A blush crept onto Undyne's cheeks, before she carried Alphys to the guest room and lay her down in bed gently. Then she tucked Alphys in, grabbed a chair and sat down next to her in case she'd get any nightmares, holding one of Alphys's hands gently. 

And Alphys didn't have any, until Undyne's hand drooped out of her own because Undyne had fallen asleep in the chair next to her.

Only then did she start to shift and frown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small rant:
> 
> People make fun of me daily, for having attacks like these thanks to my PTSD. And in the most horrible ways.
> 
> You don't have to understand what's going on with a person to be there for them. Don't make fun of them, because I already said: you don't know what's going on with them, what they might be going through.
> 
> If it's something small, or bigger than it seems, it still counts; it's still bothering them.
> 
> Just help each other. That's all I ask. If not for me then for them, okay?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger warning for discussion of past abuse and mentions of rape.**

The next morning, Alphys woke up with a scream, curling up immediately and sobbing. She dug her nails in her bruised arms absentmindedly, then tensed when she heard a creak next to her, thinking it was the door opening.

"Alphys..? Are you okay?" she heard a familiar voice saying, though distantly.

"No, no, no," Alphys murmured, her eyes shut tight and her voice choked. "N-no, please, I'm sorry, I-I'm s-sorry!"

"Hey," Undyne said, getting up. She sat down on the bed and gently touched Alphys's arm, and Alphys flinched with a choked sob. Undyne frowned. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Alphys blinked slowly, still weeping softly, then her eyes landed on Undyne, and her face teared up. Undyne shifted closer and Alphys already leaned close to hug her weakly, trembling more, as Undyne wrapped her arms around Alphys in return.

"Ssh," she whispered. "I'd never hurt you, Alphys..."

Alphys only weeped harder at this.

* * *

"I'm...s-sorry..."

Undyne blinked, pulling back from the hug to look at Alphys in confusion. "Why?"

"W-why?" Alphys echoed. She'd calmed down a bit in Undyne's embrace, and in the silence she knew something had to be said, and apologising was the first thing that came to her mind. "F-for this..ev-everything... When you took me in you didn't sign up for-for-for all this cr-crap... I-I understand if you k-kick me out--,"

"Shush," Undyne murmured, silencing Alphys with putting a finger to her lips. "I want to help you, Alphys, so you have to be honest with me, okay?" She lowered her hand, waiting for Alphys to answer.

Alphys then swallowed, hard, and nodded, her gaze lowering towards her lap.

"Who hurt you?"

Alphys bit her lip. "N-no one."

"Alphys, please be honest with me," Undyne said softly. "Who hurt you..?"

Alphys shut her eyes. "M-my...my ex... B-but-but h-he really doesn't want and means to... H-he still loves me...." Alphys suddenly spilled, unable to help it, her eyes now open and dark. "H-he always apologises after, a-and... I mean.... I-it's okay, s-since.. Since I always a-am the reason that he hurts me... I always am the cause.. H-he wouldn't do th-this if I had j-just been a b-b-better p-person..."

Undyne gritted her teeth, but kept her voice soft for now. "Alphys, you know that's wrong. If he truly loves you he wouldn't touch you beside loving, caring and gentle touches. Ones meant to make you feel loved."

"B-but he does love me," Alphys said, and something in the back of her mind told her she was lying to herself. "He-he truly does!"

"Why would he hit you, then?" Undyne countered.

"Be-because I'm a bad p-person... I-I..." Alphys trailed off, biting her lip.

"No, you're not, and no, you don't deserve it," Undyne said, already knowing what Alphys wanted to say. Alphys blinked at her. "What would ever make you a bad person?"

Alphys's gaze lowered. "I...I suck at cooking, and being a good girlfriend... I sp-speak up when I'm n-not allow-allowed to-to... A-and struggle when he-he... When he wants to..." Her voice caught, and tears filled her eyes. Undyne frowned, and upon realising what Alphys meant to say, she felt her gut clench and her heart ache.

"He... He raped you...?"

"N-no," Alphys said, her voice already broken by now. "I-it's lovemaking, I...I think...b-but usually I just...d-don't want to...a-and...then he gets mad... B-but that's okay, because I sh-should just listen and do what he wants me t-to..."

"No, Alphys," Undyne murmured, her eyes filling. "God, no... That... That's not okay, it's unhealthy... It's _rape_..."

Alphys bit hard on her lip, tears rolling down her cheeks as she let those words sink in. She knew they were true, so why was she resistant? Why didn't she want to believe them?

That was easy.

She was still afraid for him, and of what he'd said.

_"If you ever leave me or don't behave and listen, I'll make you regret it, and will hurt you and your entire damned family! Trust me, you'll regret every of your mistakes so much more than now!!"_

He'd pulled her hair to make her look at him, just her tiptoes touching the floor, and then dragged her to the guest room, calling and saying the most horrible things, before he'd thrown her on the bed and...

She closed her eyes and shuddered, reaching up to brush her tears away. "I-I'm s-sorry..."

"No, no, don't be," Undyne said, gently putting her hand atop of Alphys's. This made Alphys look up, and she couldn't help but blush slightly; the way Undyne's warm hand felt atop of her shaking one, and the way Undyne was looking at her, made her feel fuzzy and warm all over.

"Un-Undyne..." Alphys sighed softly, looking down.

"No, look at me, please?" Undyne spoke up softly. Alphys did, and a slight blush crept onto Undyne's cheeks. "You deserve so much better, Alphys. Please, stay with me?"

Alphys's eyes widened at that. "Wh-what?"

"You deserve better than that asshole," Undyne said, moving her other hand to Alphys's cheek gently. Alphys's eyes fluttered closed, and before she could stop herself she leaned into Undyne's touch, blushing again. Undyne blushed as well, smiling softly. "So, will you stay? Please?"

Alphys nodded against Undyne's hand, her eyes opening again. "If-if you r-really don't m-mind... I-I don't want to b-bother you..."

Undyne grinned, then, feeling something open up in her, and she shook her head. "Hell no! Awesome!" She leaned close and hugged Alphys gently, and Alphys stiffened a little, then melted in the embrace and hugged back. 

Honestly?

 

She could get used to this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> she protecc
> 
> she attacc
> 
> but most importantly
> 
> she got alphy's bacc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to say enjoy reading, but...
> 
> Yeah..
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all had nice holidays! Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

It got out of control.

 

It had been a month now since Alphys moved in with Undyne, two weeks until Christmas, and they had already bought her new clothes, clothes she could feel comfortable with instead of the clothes her ex always bought her. And now, Undyne insisted that they would also go buy stuff for Alphys's room and decoration, to make Alphys feel more welcomed and comfortable in her own room.

They were walking through the mall towards the exit, after having bought everything needed (including Christmas lights and other ornaments), when there was a shout behind Alphys and Undyne.

Undyne turned around, and saw a man around the age 20-30, his hair black with too much gel in it. He looked a bit on the chubby side, had golden rings in his ears and a tattoo on his neck (it looked like a dragon), and was storming towards them with his eyes locked on Alphys. And Undyne saw Alphys pale and whimper, stepping back, so she stepped between her and the man and he stopped in his steps, glaring at Undyne.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing? Fucking move!" And he reached out to push Undyne away.

 

She dropped the bags, and from there, it began. 

 

Undyne dodged and instead took him in a stranglehold, his arms behind his back, dangerously close to breaking his arms and shoulders' bones. He growled in pain, then anger took over and he managed to jerk his arms out of Undyne's grip, instead moving one of them up and knocking Undyne into her face with his elbow, hard. Undyne cried and stumbled back a little, feeling blood dripping out of her nose at a rapid pace, but instead she focused on the man, and, with a yell, she lunged at him.

She heard Alphys call her name, call the man's name (Kevin?), saying something, but was quickly caught off guard by the man dodging. She almost fell forward, stumbling, before she felt an immense pressure on her lower back, and right after she found herself on the ground, coughing and breathless.

Then she saw, although a bit blurry, the man stepping to Alphys and grabbing one of her arms, and then hit her on the face.

 

And from there, she didn't remember what happened any more. All she saw was white, and all she felt was rage.

* * *

"Undyne...?" 

Undyne stirred a little, humming a little. She felt a soft hand tapping her cheek lightly, and she groaned softly, tilting her head away from the touch. She felt a painful throbbing in the center of her face, and her mouth tasted like blood. She furrowed her brows and slowly opened her eyes, seeing Alphys knelt in front of her, her face tear-streaked and her expression one of worry.

"Al..Alphys...?" Undyne croaked out softly, then coughed, wincing a little as she did so.

“O-oh, God,”  Alphys whispered, leaning close to hug Undyne gently. Undyne winced, but moved to hug back, anyway, and every inch of her body ached painfully.

“What… What happened..?” Undyne questioned softly, and more, fresh tears filled Alphys’s eyes.

“Y-you… I-I don’t know, you… k-kind of got…con-consumed by rage...? And… and beat Kevin up, badly… On-only when five men managed to pull you away from him you stop-stopped, and th-then you passed out and Kevin got away..."

Undyne blinked slowly. "I... passed out?" When Alphys nodded silently, Undyne frowned, before a realisation hit her and her head shot up. "Alphy are you hurt?"

Alphys shook her head, not hearing Undyne's slip (Undyne did blush when she realised she'd called Alphys by that nickname), but Undyne saw the bruise on Alphys's right cheek, and she gritted her teeth, sitting up slowly. "You  _are_  hurt! Damnit!"

"It-it's okay, truly!" Alphys reassured, but Undyne got to her feet with a pained expression, Alphys looking up at her from her place.

"No!" Undyne protested. "It's everything but okay! Where's that asshole?!" She ignored the headache and the wave of nausea hitting her, along with dizziness, and looked around. 

"Undyne!" Alphys called, and finally Undyne looked at her, before her gut clenched: Alphys was crying, clearly just wanting to forget about this all. "Pl-please, let's just...g-go h-home, okay...?"

Undyne looked at her, wanting to do everything but letting go of it, but instead she just sighed and nodded.

* * *

The scenery outside was beautiful, to say at least. Lights of all different shapes and colors hung from the rooftops of the buildings, and all the shop windows were filled with gifts and beautiful boxes. Snow lined the tiled paths, and holiday music was playing distantly from the speakers as Alphys and Undyne walked out of the mall. Truly, Winter was beautiful.

But right now neither of them even paid attention to their surroundings, both lost in thoughts.

Alphys kept distance from her, Undyne realized with a frown. Had she scared her?

"Alphys..." Undyne began softly. Alphys jumped a little, then looked at her and nodded a little, her face pale and her eyes dark. "I..." She looked down. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have...reacted like that... Should've kept control over myself, so I could protect you better."

Alphys reached out and took Undyne's hand gently, making Undyne look at her. "It's okay, Undyne..."

"It's not okay," Undyne protested flatly. "He hit you in the face."

"He-he always does that," Alphys said, biting her lip. "I'm...I'm used to it..."

"You shouldn't be!" Undyne burst out, and to both their surprise her voice cracked with emotion and her eyes filled with tears. "You shouldn't be used to abuse! What he did is unacceptable, Alphys!"

Alphys flinched from habit, letting go of Undyne's hand and shaking a little, her gaze towards her feet. "I-I didn't m-mean to..."

"I...shit. I know you don't, but..." Undyne sighed, rubbing her face with her hand. "I'm sorry..."

Alphys nodded a little, trying hard to fight her tears back, but then she inhaled sharply without control, and her tears fell free. She wept softly and covered her face with her shaking hands.

Undyne bit her lip, then stepped closer and gently pulled Alphys in her arms. Alphys cried harder, leaning into Undyne's embrace but keeping her face covered with her hands. She trembled with her whole body, so hard Undyne did, too, and Undyne kept her closer, burying her face in Alphys's shaking shoulder and stroking her hair gently. She stayed silent, knowing if she would open her mouth she'd cry as well, and she didn't want that, since she needed to be strong for Alphys, right now, even if she herself was almost at her weakest.

She promised herself she'd always be strong for Alphys, no matter what.

* * *

Well.

As best as she could.

"Ow!" Undyne yelped, her hands clenching in her lap.

Alphys frowned, retreating the damp, and with blood covered washcloth from Undyne's nose. "W-well," she said. "I...I think he broke it. And bruised your ribs."

Undyne grinned suddenly. "Neat! Then I can grow a warrior's nose!"

Alphys giggled softly at that, unable to help it. "I.. I guess so, y-yeah." She smiled softly when Undyne chuckled. Then she furrowed her brows, reaching up with her free hand to touch Undyne's lip lightly, and Undyne blushed, her heart racing faster in her chest. "Y-you also have a pretty big cut right here," she explained, trailing it up until just below Undyne's nose, where it ended. "It-it'll definitely scar..." she trailed off, then, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as well at just the thought of her telling Undyne she might know a better painkiller, before she'd lean in, and Undyne would cup one of her cheeks, pulling her a bit closer, so that their faces would get close, and then...

"Earth to Alphys," Undyne repeated, snapping Alphys out of her thoughts, and she grinned even wider when she saw Alphys's face go red, though she blushed as well, realising Alphys's eyes had been focusing on her lips only.

"U-uh, s-sorry, what?" Alphys stammered.

"I asked," Undyne began with a grin, "if you'd maybe like to decorate the apartment together?"

"Oh!" Alphys said, a blush coming to her cheeks. "I-I, uh, s-s-sure?" 

Undyne grinned wider. "Great! Let's do this!" She pulled Alphys to her feet, who giggled, making her smile wider. Then, they went to decorate the apartment.

* * *

It turned out beautiful. Lights jumping from color to color around the windows, a Christmas tree decorated with Christmas balls and more lights in the corner, and both felt the mood lighten up with everything they hung in place. And, for fun, Undyne even placed a mistletoe in the middle of the room, making Alphys laugh softly.

After that they decided to watch a movie, both sipping from a mug of hot cocoa, and both cuddled close to each other underneath a fluffy blanket draped over them.

It was a good way to end such a day, and a good new beginning, together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I forgot I had this story so yeah, I'm going to try and work on this again now and then!

"Hello, darlings," Mettaton said, hugging Alphys and Undyne gently. Alphys hugged back with a smile as Undyne awkwardly untangled herself from his embrace. "How have you two been?" Then, before either could answer, there was a loud, "NYEH HEH HEH!" behind Mettaton, and he smiled and looked over to see Papyrus come running his way over to the house.

"I HAVE ARRIVED!" he said excitedly, carrying a box full of fireworks.

Undyne grinned. "Finally, ya bonehead, I thought you wouldn't show up any more at all!"

"OF COURSE I WOULD!" he declared. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS ALWAYS SHOWS UP, AND IN TIME!!"

The four of them shared a soft chuckle, and after sans had arrived, the five of them went in Undyne's house. 

The pas few weeks, Alphys had gotten to meet Undyne's good friends - Papyrus, Mettaton and sans. And while she still was very shy and nervous around them, she was glad they'd both accepted her as Undyne's roommate and as their friend.

Which was why, now, New Year's Eve, everyone gathered at Undyne's place.

Christmas was amazing. Undyne and Alphys even made cookies together (well, if you can call burnt dough cookies), and they spent the whole evening and night watching TV - romantic comedies and anime. And Undyne really liked the little bubble she and Alphys seemed to be in together, like that, being so close and cuddling. She loved it.

And moments like these made her think more and more of something, something she'd been pushing away for almost all of her life, now, because it hurt her so much. And now she thought of it, and realized Alphys didn't, hurt her even more. 

The more she thought about it, the more she thought she was indeed right.

The second and third days were spent at Papyrus and sans' house, together with Mettaton. The five of them had kept a sleepover and the next day they had gone shopping for fireworks.

So this awful year was luckily ended with something good.

* * *

"..3"

"..2"

"..1"

_""Happy new year!!!""_

Everyone hugged, wished the other best wishes and spent some time talking and looking at all the colourful fireworks outside. Then Undyne encouraged everyone to go outside together with Papyrus, to fire their own fireworks, too.

* * *

And it turned out that Alphys had a fear for loud noises.

The neighborhood children kept throwing firecrackers and two times it had startled Alphys into a high yelp and jumping aside. The third time it happened she stumbled right into Undyne's arms, and her face went bright red.

"Ooooh~" Undyne heard Papyrus and Mettaton coe.

She was about to scold at them, blushing, but she froze when she took in Alphys's appearance closely...

Her face pale, her freckled cheeks were a rosy pink from the cold, a few strands of her golden, curvy hair peeked out from under the beanie she was wearing (Undyne's beanie) falling into her face, as little white snowflakes coated her eyelashes.

And the sight made Undyne speechless and very aware of how close they actually were, their faces only a few inches apart. Then she cleared her tight throat awkwardly before grinning, though crooked. "U-uhm. Wanna fire another rocket together?"

Alphys quickly nodded, wanting nothing more than to forget about this.

* * *

And of course they got drunk. Well, everyone except Papyrus. He was the one who drove the car anyway.  

Around 4 or 5 AM in the morning, Papyrus said it'd be better to go home, and sans and Mettaton agreed - sans had fallen asleep several times by then, and Mettaton was getting a little bit cranky without sleep. They were out of fireworks, too, and other people's fireworks had lessened quite a bit as well.

And that left Undyne and Alphys tipsy - drunk - in their apartment.

"Holy shit, Alphys," Undyne giggled, leading Alphys towards her room. "You're so tipsy!"

Alphys snorted. "Tipsy? Nahhh." She looked up at Undyne with a lopsy grin. _"You're_ drunk!"

"Nah, I'm just tipsy as well," Undyne concluded. "I'm not a lightweight like you!" Alphys giggled more at this, then collapsed on the bed, and Undyne sat down next to her, grinning. "You're so cute, Alphy."

At this, Alphys looked at her with a blink. "Well... _you're_ hot!"

Undyne blushed a little at this, then lied down next to Alphys. "I mean it though, Alphy. You're adorable. I... I love you."

Alphys turned to look at Undyne, lying on her side, and this time she was blushing. "You do?"

Undyne nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah. When we met I was already crushing on you, and then I fell in love with you."

"But-but..." Alphys blinked slowly. "S-so soon?" A blush crept onto Undyne's pinkish cheeks as she nodded at this.

"You probably don't remember it any more but..we were classmates in the twelfth grade. We were even best friends. But then you got into a relationship with that..asshole. And then you left school, and I never heard a word from you any more." She sighed, smiling sadly, and Alphys's eyes cleared up.

"You're right," she whispered. Undyne blinked, looking at her. 

"You remember it?"

Alphys nodded silently, sitting up and smiling at Undyne widely. "Yes. I remember it, now. I was thinking about it for some time now, but wasn't sure, so I kept my mouth shut."

Undyne looked up at her. "Wait, so you, too?" 

Alphys nodded again, blushing more - and not just from the alcohol. "That explains why I was comfortable around you almost immediately. And why I had the feeling I knew you already."

Undyne sat up, then hesitated, swallowing hard, before she closed the distance between her and Alphys, cupping Alphys's warm cheeks and kissing her softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Shit They Already Knew Each Other


	6. Chapter 6

And Alphys jerked back.

She'd enjoyed it, for a few seconds, getting lost in the feel of Undyne's lips to hers, but almost immediately her senses crashed back into her, making her react that way.

Undyne stared at her, her hands still held up where they'd been holding Alphys's cheeks. "Alphy?"

"I... I can't," she murmured.

"I see," Undyne murmured, her hands lowering. "I... I'm sorry, I thought you felt the same way."

Alphys shook her head, her eyes wavering with tears. "S-sorry, can I just..just sleep?"

Undyne nodded, getting to her feet. "Of course. Can we..."

"Forget this happened?" Alphys finished for Undyne, who nodded, still looking down at her feet so her bangs hid the tears filling her eyes. "Sure."

"Thanks. G'night." Undyne turned and left the room before Alphys could even ask her if she was okay.

Alphys curled up in a small ball, hugging her legs to her chest. The truth was, she did feel the same. She did like Undyne, but... She _had_ to reject her. Her ex would go insane if he would get to know, and she knew Undyne was just confused and saying these things because she was drunk. She wasn't going to take advantage of that. Never.

She inhaled shakily, before letting out a soft whimper, tearing up and hiding her face in her knees.

She cried herself to sleep once again.

* * *

The next morning (after sleeping out most of her hangover), when Alphys woke up and walked into the living room, she was surprised to find herself home alone. 

A frown came to Alphys's face and she walked towards the kitchen, then grabbed a small paper which was stuck to the fridge's door. She unfolded it and read.

 

_"Hey Alphys, I'm not home today, probably will be back by tonight._

_Undyne."_

 

Alphys sighed. Was Undyne avoiding her?

..probably.

And it was her own fault. She should have just said that she felt the same way.

* * *

When Undyne got home, it was already 7 PM. She walked in and closed the door behind her, smiling faintly. "Home," she called out as she kicked off her shoes and hung up her jacket to a hook.

"H-hey," Alphys called from the couch. She was curled up in a small ball, a blanket wrapped around her. The TV was on some cartoon channel.

Undyne grinned and sat next to her. "Hey, how was your day?"

"Was okay," Alphys mumbled, hiding her face a little more with her blanket. "Yours?"

"It was good," Undyne admitted, smiling faintly. She watched her for a moment, silently, before she sighed and got to her feet. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No," Alphys admitted. "I'm not hungry."

"Hangover?" Undyne wondered, and Alphys just nodded.

"You still gotta eat. Pancakes?" 

Alphys sighed and nodded, her gaze lowered. 

Undyne frowned, and sat back down next to her. "Alphys? Can we talk about yesterday?"

The blonde tensed, looking at Undyne so quickly her neck cracked. "W-why?"

"I'm not avoiding you because of that," was the first thing she said, as if she could read Alphys's mind. "You're still my best friend."

Alphys hesitated. "I-it's not that I don't want to do those things with you, or that I don't feel the same way, Undyne," she admitted. "I just..d-don't know if I c-c-can handle an-an actual relationship r-right n-now."

Undyne felt her cheeks warm up a little. _'So she does feel the same way.'_

"It's okay," Undyne promised, taking one of Alphys's hands and gently squeezing it. "Nothing will change between us, okay?"

"Wait- you _do_ f-feel that way?" she asked, and Undyne nodded. 

"What? You think it was the alcohol talking?" When Alphys nodded silently, Undyne frowned.  "It wasn't. I was being honest. I..." She fell silent. She knew if she'd say "I love you" that it would only make Alphys feel more guilty. 

"We're still best friends, right?" she asked instead, seriously worrying about this. 

Alphys nodded. "Yes, we are," she said, which made Undyne smile that bright grin, again. And it made Alphys feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She loved that smile so much. And she loved _Undyne,_ so much.

And she would almost lose her forever.


End file.
